One of the most historic programs on the island and in the state of New York the Northport Tigers land at No. 11 in our preseason top 20 rankings. They’ve won the Class A Long Island Championship each year since 2019, and were last season’s runner up in the New York State Championship. They are led by longtime Head Coach Carol Rose who has been at the helm for 34 years. Coach Rose expressed her excitement about getting to coach this 2023 team. We are excited to work with a group of talented young ladies who have great team chemistry and work ethic!! Collectively they are unselfish team players that are all in.”
Last season Northport had arguably the most lethal attack on the island with Kaylie Mackiewicz, Shannon Smith and Julia Huxtable. Two thirds of this trio are now playing at the collegiate level, but the return of Huxtable the USF commit is a big piece of the puzzle as she is in store for a huge junior year. In 2022 she had 45 points with 18 goals and 27 assists and stepped up in Northport’s biggest games. Senior Captain Haleigh Greenberg (Kent State) is also going to play a key role in their attack after recording 17 points last season. The Tigers also have a budding star on their attack with freshman Kate Atkinson. As an eighth grader she provided the team with 15 points, finding the back of the net 11 times.
Just like the attack, the midfield will look very different this season with the loss of Ella Cabrera and Isabella Germani, but they get the return of senior captain Emma McLam who’s headed to Delaware at the conclusion of the 2023 season. With Northport’s star power last year McLam may have flown under the radar but she was another pivotal player, tallying 34 points. As a team Northport was first overall in Suffolk County in goals per game at 13.2. Besides their lethal goal scorers, a big reason for Northport having plenty of offensive success started on the draw circle with Grace McCarthy (ECU) who is back for her senior season as their draw specialist and is also a team captain.
On the defensive side they return key players that were part of the unit that allowed just a shade over seven goals per game last year. Defender Kennedy Radizul (Delaware) is in her senior season as one of their defensive stoppers, along with freshman Emma Greenberg. Last season Greenberg wasn’t just on the varsity roster but was a starter and is proving to be one the island’s premier defenders in the class of 2026. The defense will be playing in front of their captain and senior goalie Megan Morris (Marist) who delivered all season long last year especially in the clutch, finishing top three in Suffolk County in saves with 143.
In addition to the returning players two young guns that are in the class of 2027 that could potentially be in the fold this year are Julianna Tietjen and Riley Cash.
To get the season started with their first official game they’ll be taking on Connetquot on March 29th. Throughout the season there’s a number of notable matchups on their schedule both in and out of conference against teams including Huntington (4/3), Long Beach (4/8), William Floyd (4/11), Fox Lane (4/22), Ward Melville (4/26), and Commack (5/5).
